National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties · Nara

Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall)

Todaiji Sanmaido (Shigatsudo): The 1681 Hall Facing the Hokkedo

Todaiji's Sanmaido, or Shigatsudo, a three-bay hall of 1681 with Kamakura timbers and a Heian Fugen on an elephant, now closed for seismic work from May 2025.

Designation National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties

Location Nara

Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall): The Hall Facing the Hokkedo

The Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall) (東大寺三昧堂（四月堂）, Sanmai-dō or Shigatsu-dō) is a mid-Edo-period Buddhist hall built in 1681 opposite the Hokkedō on the Jōin terrace of Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1903.

According to the temple, the hall is called the Shigatsudō, the Fourth-Month Hall, because the Hokke Zanmai, a meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, was once held here in the fourth month of the old calendar. It was earlier known as the Fugendō or Fugen Zanmaidō, and at one time Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra) was its main image. One record dates its founding to 1021; another account gives 1067.

An Edo Building Made With Older Timber

The Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall is three bays square, with a double hipped roof of clay tiles. Ink inscriptions on the underside of its roof boards date it to 1681, the temple says.

Yet the building reuses timbers thought to go back to the Kamakura period. The late seventeenth century was just before Kōkei petitioned the shogunate to rebuild the Great Buddha Hall, so the Sanmaidō also records temple building at Todaiji in the years leading up to that great project.

Images and Designation

The Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1903, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law of the time.

Inside is a small Heian-period figure of Fugen riding an elephant, showing the bodhisattva who comes on a white elephant to those who keep faith in the Lotus Sutra, a reminder of the hall's earlier name. Heian-period statues of the Eleven-Headed Kannon and Amida, both Important Cultural Properties, are also kept here.

Third Month, Fourth Month

The Shigatsudō faces the Hokkedō, also called the Sangatsudō or Third-Month Hall, across the Jōin terrace. A Nara-period hall and an Edo-period hall stand side by side, each nicknamed for the month of its Lotus Sutra rite.

A short walk north brings you to the Nigatsudō, the Second-Month Hall. Having halls named for the second, third and fourth months together on the terrace is a handy way to find your bearings.

The Shigatsudo Is Closed for Earthquake Work

The Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall) closed on 7 May 2025 for about two years of seismic reinforcement work, and temple seals are not being issued there (checked October 2026). The images inside cannot be seen during the closure.

Once work is complete, hours are expected to return to 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Photography, sketching and flashlights are not allowed inside. Check the Todaiji website for the reopening date. Directions to the temple are on the Todaiji Temple page.

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Q&A

QWhen was the Todaiji Sanmaido (Shigatsudo) built?: AInk inscriptions on the roof boards date the present building to 1681. It also reuses timber thought to date from the Kamakura period.

QWhy is the Todaiji Sanmaido called the Shigatsudo?: AThe Hokke Zanmai, a Lotus Sutra meditation, was once held there in the fourth month of the old calendar. It was earlier called the Fugendō.

QIs the Todaiji Shigatsudo open now?: AIt closed on 7 May 2025 for about two years of seismic work (checked October 2026). Check the temple's website for the reopening date.

QWhat images are in the Todaiji Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall)?: AA Heian-period Fugen riding an elephant, plus Heian-period statues of the Eleven-Headed Kannon and Amida.

QWhere is the Todaiji Shigatsudo?: AOn the Jōin terrace of Todaiji, facing the Hokkedō (Sangatsudō). The Nigatsudō is a short walk north.

Basic Information

Name	Todaiji Temple Sanmaido Hall (Shigatsudo Hall)
Location	Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Designation	Important Cultural Property
Year Designated	1903
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	3 x 3 bays, double roof, hipped, clay tiles
Owner	Todaiji Temple
Public Access	Closed for seismic work (planned for about 2 years from 2025)